Something Fierce
by Brin
Summary: When Vitani is kidnapped poachers, she is stranded in the adventure of a lifetime.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story that appear in the hit movie _The Lion King_, which belong to those brilliant masterminds at Disney. I do, however, own any and all original characters here.

Summary: Vitani's tired of being nothing more than the annoying sister and goes off to have her own adventure. Things get a little out of hand, however, when she gets captured by poachers.

A/N: Ah, how I love under-appreciated, but well-written characters. *smiles serenely* I normally wouldn't write a story for a cartoon, but I'm having a phase in which I miss my childhood. *sigh*

Something Fierce 

By

Brin

"The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it." - Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

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Prologue

The sun was just peeking over the horizon, its warmth and light spreading across the Pridelands like water over a desert. The animals of the land stirred as the light touched them and rose to greet the day as they usually did. A content peacefulness hung in the sky as the cool morning breeze ruffled the savanna's long grass. When the breeze blew the grass just right, and if they were paying attention, the waking herds would've noticed a streak of glittering gold slinking closer to them.

Vitani's paws moved across the savanna floor silently, claws sheathed so as to not scrape against anything. She had her sights set on a buck that was significantly larger than those around it. Her mouth watered just imagining how he would taste in her jaws. As she inched nearer to him, she heard deep breathing from the other side of the herd. _Not now!_ she thought irritably, then froze as a twig snapped, but not from her own feet.

The heads of the herd of antelope jerked up and then they took off…

Conveniently, straight towards Vitani.

Without hesitation, Vitani jumped from her hiding place with a roar and startled the antelope, who skidded to a halt to avoid running into the lion, then turned and started running in a different direction. Vitani's paw lashed out and tripped the nearest antelope to her. Its skull hit the savanna floor with a crack and the lion put her paw on its neck, then took it into her mouth and sat on her haunches as it feebly struggled.

"Vitani!" wailed Kiara as she walked towards the other lioness, panting. "How come you always get one?"

Vitani crunched down on her prey, snapping its neck and killing it instantly, then dropped it. "Because _you_ herded them straight towards me. I was going to get a bigger one until _you_ came along."

Kiara gave her a sheepish grin. "Oh… sorry."

"Where's Kovu?" asked Vitani nonchalantly as she licked her bloodied jowls. Over the past few weeks, Kovu and Kiara had been inseparable, always cuddling and flirting and kissing. Vitani thought it was _sickening._

"He's still sleeping. I thought I might catch some breakfast as a surprise," said Kiara, glancing over her shoulder at Pride Rock, which glowed amber in the morning sun.

Vitani smirked. "_You_ were gonna catch breakfast? Are you kidding me? You can barely catch _field mice_."

Kiara frowned at the older lioness, her eyes wide with a pout. "Vitani…"

"It's true. What happened to you, anyway? Your mom could bring down a buffalo by herself and your dad could pounce _me_," continued the darker lioness before taking a large bite out of her prey. "It's a good thing you're a princess, because if you weren't, they'd have to kick you out for being useless!"

"Stop it, Vitani!" protested Kiara in a childish voice. "If you're so great, why don't _you_ teach me?"

"Because I might fall in love with you," snapped Vitani sarcastically. She ripped a leg off of her catch and tossed it to the younger lioness. "Hungry?"

Kiara sniffed at it before taking a tentative bite.

"What, you think I'm going to poison you?" sneered Vitani, her lip curling into a frown.

"Vitani!" called a familiar voice. "That's enough!"

With a roll of her turquoise eyes, Vitani replied, "Oh look, it's Kovu come to rescue his little princess."

Kovu narrowed his eyes at his sister as he sat next to Kiara. "I said that's _enough_, Vitani."

"Yes, _Prince_ Kovu," said the other lioness, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "It won't happen again." She mockingly bowed, then picked up her kill and started to drag it away.

"Guess you can't win 'em all," mused Kovu to Kiara with an exasperated roll of his eyes. "Come on back. You can go out with the hunting party later."

Kiara frowned, perturbed by Vitani's words, and nodded numbly. "Yeah…"

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After thoroughly gorging herself on the antelope, Vitani heaved herself to the waterhole and lay on the edge of it, basking in the warm early-morning sun. Herbivores milled about lazily, well-aware that the lioness was too full to even take an interest in their presence. Vitani's eyelids drooped and she rolled onto her back to warm her stretched stomach.

She slept for well over five hours, then woke up as the sun blazed overhead, getting a little too hot for comfort. To escape its wrath, the lioness moved to a shaded area next to the waterhole and lay with her front paws resting in the cool water. A zebra regarded her suspiciously and moved away while a young rhino romped through the shallow pool, splashing Vitani in the face. Its alarmed parents quickly called it over as Vitani glared at them indignantly, then wiped her nose with her paw and put her head down in an attempt to go back to sleep.

Minutes passed slowly, but sleep didn't seem to be coming, so Vitani raised her head and looked around. Most of the herbivores had retreated to the shadier parts of the savanna, leaving her to herself. She glanced down into the glittering water and studied her reflection with mild curiosity. Ever since coming to the Pridelands, her scrawny form had filled out to a healthier size and her coat had become glossier than ever. Her muzzle had small scars on it from the initial attack on Simba, but otherwise she looked better all-around.

Her paw shifted in the water, sending a ripple across the image of her face. Vitani sighed and splashed it. She knew she wasn't a stunning beauty like Nala or an innocent cutie like Kiara, but she liked to think that a male wouldn't completely pass her over. There were only a handful of males in their Pride, but none of them were too much of a prize – and that was the only reason Simba let them stick around. The best of the bunch were three males of Kovu's age, Bakari, Chane, and Jabari. Bakari and Chane were half-brothers with unattractive light brown manes, but both strongly-built and intelligent. Jabari, true to his name, was a brave and respectable lion, though it seemed that for his personality he had lost all hope to become even a relatively large lion.

"Vitani!"

The lioness looked up with a lazy expression to see one of her friends, Dalila, approach. Dalila had been an Outlander as well – they grew up together.

"Yes?" asked Vitani, rising to her feet as the other lioness trotted over.

""Simba's called a gathering." A pause. "_Look_ at the sun, Tani! Have you been sleeping all morning?" asked Dalila with a frown. 

Vitani rolled her eyes. "Jealous?"

"Yes! You know what they made me do while _you_ have been _sleeping_?!" wailed Dalila, eyes glinting mischievously. "I was forced to… _watch the cubs_ while the others went _hunting_." She shivered mockingly.

They started walking back to Pride Rock side by side. "Really? And did you have fun?" asked Vitani nonchalantly.

"Little boogers," growled Dalila with a grin. She was slightly smaller than Vitani, and of a more slender build, but when it came to hunting, no lion could match her breakneck speed. Her right eye had been damaged in a training accident when she was a cub and it didn't open quite as wide as the other one.

The rest of the hike was spent in silence until they reached Pride Rock and bounded up its natural steps. Towards the top of Pride Rock, they came to a thick crowd of lions. As they approached, Bakari noticed them and coyly slipped into pace next to Dalila. "Hey, Dalila," he drawled.

Dalila rolled her eyes and ignored him, instead saying to Vitani, "Ugh. _Males._"

Vitani chuckled, then sat on her haunches in the outer ring of the crowd. "So what's going on?"

"All we know is that Simba's going to make an announcement," replied Dalila, her tone slightly contemptuous. "You know, royal bull."

They stifled their laughter as Simba emerged from the darkness of the sleeping chamber, a smile resting on his regal face. Next to him, of course, was Nala, her turquoise eyes shining as she regarded her adoring husband.

Vitani's face briefly turned to one of disgust, but when the royal couple looked over at her, she managed a polite smile. She hadn't been raised to appreciate 'true love' and all its complicated layers. Her mother… Vitani momentarily faltered, thinking of the dead body of her mother lying limp on a riverbank. She took a deep breath, clearing the image from her mind's eye, and returned her attention to Simba and Nala. They stepped down from an upper slab of rock onto the level that the other lions stood on, and from behind them emerged Kiara and Kovu, looking for all the world like playful cubs.

Dalila leaned close to Vitani and whispered, "I see where this is going."

Kovu and Kiara sat next to the royal couple, nuzzling each other shamelessly, while Simba broke away from his wife and stood proud and tall. He was the largest lion around for miles; his royal lineage was greatly evident in his thick mane and powerful stature. At the moment, he put his forepaws onto a raised surface to make himself even taller as he regarded his 'loyal subjects' with gratitude. Then, he began, "I've called this meeting to announce a very important day." He glanced over his shoulder at Kiara and his smile grew. "Kovu and Kiara are ready to make their vows to each other."

A gasp of delight went up through the gathered lions, but Vitani merely rolled her blue eyes. Well _of course_ they were going to get married! Everyone knew it would happen, why be so pleased? While the lionesses rushed up to Kiara and Kovu to offer their congratulations, Vitani, Dalila, a few other former Outlanders, and the other males stayed where they were.

Vitani scowled. "It's not like this is a surprise."

"Aren't you the least bit happy for them?" asked Chane, coming to sit next to her.

Sparing a brief glance at his appalling cream-colored mane, Vitani replied, "Of course I'm _happy_ for them, I just don't understand all these stupid rituals and traditions. I'm not used to doing so many things with _everyone_. What happened to privacy?"

Chane shrugged his massive shoulders, sending a small cloud of dust into the air from his mane. He looked over at his brother, Bakari, who was sending Dalila goo-goo eyes from a safe distance, then at the small Jabari, who was scowling enviously at Kovu. "Guess even when you're part of the pride, you can still be an outsider, huh?"

Vitani regarded him for a second, then stood and stalked away.

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"Vitani! Vitani!" called Chane as she stormed from Pride Rock. "Hey, wait up! What's got you so mad?"

The lioness whirled around to face him, teeth bared. "What do you want?"

Chane stopped in his tracks, moving back slightly. "Well, I was-I was just…"

"Just trying to be nice?" finished Vitani bitterly. She growled at him and unsheathed her claws. "Go away, Chane. I don't feel like talking."

Undeterred, Chane bounded after her. "Come on, Vitani! Just wait!"

Vitani stopped walking and abruptly sat down, facing away from the lion. "Make it quick."

Chane smiled as he flopped onto the ground next to her. "Thank you."

They sat in silence for a few moments, then Vitani ventured, "Yes?"

"I was just thinking, Tani…"

Vitani cringed at the nickname, but didn't interrupt him.

"…that we're two of the same soul, you and I. We're both rogues, outsiders! I think we have a lot more common than either of us first thought." He scooted closer, amber eyes glowing. "Maybe, if we got to know each other better, we might have something like… Simba and Nala; Kovu and Kiara."

"Are you courting me, Chane?" asked Vitani in a bored tone.

Chane faltered, embarrassed. "Well… yes…"

With a groan of exasperation, Vitani stood and started walking away again. "You're wasting your time, Chane," she called over her shoulder, glad that he wasn't following her this time.

Furious with himself and with her, Chane stomped back towards Pride Rock.

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In all her two and a half years, Vitani had never felt so agitated. She paced back and forth at the waterhole, which seemed like the only place in the Pridelands where she could get some privacy from the suffocating lionesses and relentless males, for who knows how long. Her paws kicked up bits of dirt and mud as she paced, mind racing. What was she doing? This was what she had been wanting her entire life – to live in the Pridelands! Zira had—

Vitani stopped walking. Maybe that was it. She should've known that her mother could haunt her from the grave, wherever it be. All her life, nothing had been pounded into her head more than _SIMBA IS THE ENEMY._ Now she was sitting before him as one of his _loyal subjects_. It didn't feel right being here, and she could tell it was bothering her friends as well. Kovu… well, Kovu was somethingelse. Vitani had come quietly, but not for the reasons Simba assumed. Her first reason was in defense for Kovu. No matter how much of a bleeding heart he was, she couldn't abandon her twin. Her second reason was a more appealing way of getting into the Pridelands. After all, that's what the whole ordeal was about for her. For Zira it had been more personal, but…

"Vitani!"

The lioness promptly sat down, facing away from whoever was calling. "WHAT?!" she snarled, deliberately placing her attention on the setting sun.

Near-silent feet padded over and stopped a short distance away from the brooding lioness. "Vitani?"

Suddenly recognizing the voice, Vitani turned around. "Nala."

The Queen of the Pridelands smiled at the younger lioness almost sympathetically. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"Fine."

Nala's eyes flickered as she said, "Kovu was disappointed when you left so soon. He wanted his sister's blessing. You are, after all, the only one he has left."

Vitani felt a twinge of guilt. "Nuka," she breathed sadly, more to herself than the lioness sitting next to her. He had been closer to her than Kovu, but it had taken his death to find out. No matter how much of an idiot he was; no matter how many times he messed up… He was family.

"You have an interesting name, Vitani," continued the Queen nonchalantly, interrupting Vitani's thoughts. "'At war,' right? I think it suits you well."

The younger lioness bristled and responded, "What do you mean by that?"

Nala smiled and shrugged cryptically, then turned and began to walk back towards Pride Rock with the parting words, "I hope you'll join us for a celebration in Kiara and Kovu's honor."

Vitani watched her go, noticing the slight limp the older lioness carried from their fight. She felt even more miserable as her guilt meter rose a few notches. Nala was good to everyone and Simba's backbone as well. Vitani sighed. No wonder the Queen of the Pridelands was hailed as the most beautiful lion around, through and throughout. The younger lioness remembered the tone Nala had used when saying her name at the beginning of the fight… like an elder scolding a child. She sighed.

The young lioness was just about to head back home when she heard the distinct sound of… hyenas? Frozen in her tracks, Vitani sniffed the air as a weak breeze blew across her face. It smelled like… a male lion? She inhaled deeply and a grin crossed her face. A _big_ male. One that Simba and Kovu wouldn't enjoy having around.

Curious, Vitani trotted off in the direction of the smell which, suspiciously, was coming from the same direction as the sound of hyenas.

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The sun had lowered a bit more as Vitani ventured across the river that marked the boundary of the Pridelands and finally spotted her quarry: not just one male, but two! They were standing with their backs to her. One had a dark mane while the other's was light. The lioness crouched low as she approached them. She had long since lost track of the hyenas calls; they had faded as she got closer to the two lions.

Another light wind blew past and Vitani took a deep breath, the scent making her increase her pace. She abandoned her suspicions and nearly ran forward until she was a few feet within the strange males, who still hadn't moved. The smell was stronger now, and mingled with other strange scents that Vitani had trouble distinguishing.

"Hey," she said cautiously to the darker one. The light male was several feet away, still as a rock.

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"John! John!" called a portly man from where he sat in a beige van.

A tall man with a wispy mustache and a scar on his cheek, John Turner had to duck considerably far to enter the vehicle. "What's up, Russell?" he asked, sitting down and wiping the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

"We got ourselves a catch," said Russell Banks, pointing out the window at the two dummies they set up. "Looks like a keeper."

John's eyes lit up. "Look at that coat! The muscles! The boss'll love her!" He grabbed his tranquiller gun from its case and loaded it with a few darts.

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Vitani rubbed against the dark male and repeated, "Hey." When he didn't respond, she tapped him with her paw. "Hello?" She tapped him harder, but this time he promptly fell over onto his side. "What?" A gustier wind blew, sending a foul smell into the lioness's nose. She whipped her head about, suddenly growing frightened.

Then, there was a sharp pain in her leg.

"Ow!" exclaimed Vitani, whirling around with a snarl. Nothing was there. She craned her neck and saw a small pink fluff protruding from her flank, almost like the feathers of a parrot. As she look at it, something bit her neck. The lioness again turned, but saw no one. She pawed at her neck, but whatever had bit her was firmly lodged into her fur.

As she tried to get rid of whatever was stinging her, the lioness was aware of her limbs growing heavy. Her forelegs collapsed for a moment, causing her to stumble and land on her face. With great effort, she rose again and looked around for help. "Dalila?" she whispered as her back legs began to shake. "Kovu?" Then, her legs failed her and she melted to the ground, out cold.

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"Beautiful!" exclaimed Russell for the umpteenth time as he helped John load the lioness into a cage next to their other catch – a battered old lioness with little life left in her.

"Yeah, beautiful. We've earned our pay for today, Rus," replied John with a broad grin. With a final heave, they pushed the lioness into the cage and placed the padlock onto it. "Alright, let's head out. There aren't very many lions around here, I suppose."

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Kovu sat watching as Kiara was smothered with congratulations by thirty or so lionesses – the whole pride, he supposed.

Well, not the _whole_ pride.

A sigh escaping him, he rose and glanced around at the gathered lionesses. Vitani still wasn't there. He frowned disappointedly, ears drooping. That sister of his and her mind games! A low growl nearly left his throat, but he saw Nala climb over a ridge of rocks and bounded over to her instead. "Did you find her?"

Nala looked slightly startled as she reported, "Vitani was down by the waterhole. She has a few… issues to deal with."

Kovu frowned as the queen walked past him, turning his green eyes toward the grassy savanna. The sun was now dipping behind the horizon; Vitani had been gone for a long time… He padded over the ridge and headed down the side of Pride Rock, the celebration in his honor forgotten. Kiara's questioning voice followed him, but he barely heard her. His mind was instead fixed on the smell of strange males in the Pridelands.

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The wind, which had only been a comforting breeze a few hours earlier, was now wailing in Kovu's ears as he loped across the Pridelands with his heart pounding in his ears. Zazu, who had obviously been sent after him, swooped down and called, "Kovu! Where are you going?"

"Zazu, fly ahead! Find Vitani!" yelled Kovu. He spared a quick glance at the waterhole as he passed it, but his sister was nowhere to be found, as he had expected. His whole life he had known Vitani – she was older than him by a slim two minutes – and never had she wandered from safety for so long. As tough and rigid as Vitani outwardly appeared to be, she wasn't brainless. She knew the benefits of sticking close to home; the benefits of being able to call upon any number of allies at a moment's notice. On top of that, he could feel… _something_ tugging at his heart. A sort of sixth sense telling him that danger was upon his sister. He ran faster.

Soon the young lion picked up his sister's scent and followed it across the river separating the Pridelands and Outlands. The smell of males was stronger now, and mingled with the scent of something fetid. The odor was almost ape-like, but even old Rafiki didn't smell so putrid; like a carcass that had lain in the sun far too long.

Kovu then came upon the place where the scent was strongest. He studied the ground using the tracking skills his mother had taught him.

"There were two males… Vitani approached the one here," thought Kovu aloud as he scurried to and fro, head bowed. "He fell, then…" He sniffed the ground. "Then Vitani struggled. She fell forward, rose… and collapsed." A snarl escaped his throat, then froze as he came upon a strange footprint. He found this to be the source of the foul stench and fell back with disgust. There were two sets of them, along with evidence that Vitani had been dragged along the ground.

"Sire! Sire!" Zazu called as he darted through the air. "There's no sign of Vitani anywhere!"

Kovu looked down at the strange track suspiciously. "Zazu, tell Simba that Vitani's been kidnapped! Move, now!"

"Oh right, at once! Yes, of course!" The hornbill zoomed away.

The young lion followed the prints for a mile or two until the tracks ended. Here, new and just as strange trails began. They were deep into the ground and continuous, like an exaggerated version of a round rock being rolled across the ground. A distinctly unnatural odor lingered in the air, reminiscent of the scent of burnt trees. Here, his sister's smell vanished.

"Vitani!" yelled Kovu, turning this way and that. "Vitani!" he roared.

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Miles and miles away, his call went unheard by a sleeping lioness as she was carried farther and farther away from her homeland…


	2. The Messenger

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story that appear in the hit movie _The Lion King_, which belong to those brilliant masterminds at Disney. I do, however, own any and all original characters here.

Summary: Vitani is dumped into a strange new land where she meets even stranger new friends.

A/N: Yay! Snow day! (that rhymes!) I've decided that this story is going to be _loosely_ based on 'The Taming of the Shrew' by Shakespeare, since the two movies are reportedly based on his works anyway. It's also occurred to me that some of these names might be used by other authors, but the characters are my property, okay? Show me a copyright on the name and I'll change it, but otherwise don't bother me. 

**Something** **Fierce**

By

Brin

"The power of accurate observation is frequently called cynicism by those who don't have it." - George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)

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Chapter One: The Messenger

Vitani awoke with a pounding headache. Her turquoise eyes opened slowly, showing nothing but a blur of shapes.  She lay in an uncomfortable position inside a strange box with bars on all sides. The lioness sprang to her feet with a growl, but the act caused too much blood to rush to her brain and she fell down again. Cruel laughter, like that of hyenas but not quite, could be heard. She opened her eyes again, this time seeing four ugly creatures looking at her hungrily. They made noises at each other that Vitani couldn't understand. She backed up as far as she could and snarled at them. They laughed louder. It was then that Vitani noticed an old lioness on the other side of the bars to her right.

"Give it up, cub," whispered the old lioness with a sad expression. "You're not getting out of here."

"How would you know?" asked Vitani bitterly. "What do you know?"

"I've heard the legends of these creatures," replied the other lioness. "Sadistic, malicious, cruel. They haven't been seen in these parts for too many years to count, though."

Vitani snorted and resumed snarling at the appalling beasts before her. They laughed some more, then moved out of sight. Vitani pressed her face against the bars to try and see where they had gone, but soon one of them appeared above her cage. He smirked at her and tugged on one of the bars, causing the front wall to fall. Vitani was out in half a second, spitting and snarling, only to have something wrapped around her neck from behind. She roared in rage as one of the two-legged beasts dragged her across the ground, past a huge row of branchless trees pressed so tightly together that there was no way through them except for the opening she was being heaved through now. Burrs dug into her flesh as she struggled against the rope around her neck. Another two-legged ran over and grabbed the rope, nearly strangling the lioness as she continued to thrash about.

This went on for a few minutes, then Vitani felt the familiar sensation of something stinging her. She looked down and saw the same pink feathers as before, then glanced up and saw one of the two-legged beasts smiling wickedly at her. In his hand he held an ugly gray bar.

After a second or two, Vitani's limbs grew heavy once again. She stopped struggling but, instead of going out cold as before, slowly fell into a state of semi-consciousness and collapsed.

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Kovu paced back and forth on the large, jutting slab of pride rock, teeth bared with frustration and anger. Other lions stood a safe distance away, unsure of what to say to the troubled prince. The sun had fallen behind the horizon not too long ago and the first stars were glittering above.

Kiara sat closest to the raging lion, face screwed with confusion and sympathy for her mate. "Kovu, please… calm down."

"I can't calm down!" he roared, then sighed when he saw Kiara's ears droop. "I'm sorry, Kiara, but… my sister is out there, somewhere, and I can't do anything about it! What am I going to do? I can't live my life not knowing what happened! I've got to go find her."

"But Kovu, you may never find her—"

"Don't say that, Kiara. Don't say that to me," snarled Kovu. He resumed pacing. "I'll find her, or die trying." After a few more seconds of pacing, the young lion started towards the stairs leading down the side of Pride Rock. Before he could get there, however, a familiar mandrill face appeared over the side.

"Stop where you are, young cub!" commanded Rafiki, holding out his stick.

"I'm not a cub, now _move_," growled the dark lion.

"You are a cub as long as you act like one," said the old baboon in his heavily accented speech. "Now, sit, sit. I will tell you what I know of dis mystery."

The lions, including Simba and Nala, gathered in a circle around the old baboon with curious eyes.

Rafiki sat crossed-legged and eyed each individual lion before beginning his tale, "Many years ago, before even old Rafiki walked de earth, a strange beast set foot in de Pridelands. He brought with him de red flower. He used to destroy de trees to enjoy de warmth from it. De great king Kale did not like de presence of these strange creatures. He tried to destroy de intruders, but dey used de red flower and killed him. Kale's attack scared de two-legged creature and he left the Pridelands, never to return… until now." He hung his head gravely. "De tracks left by dese creatures are strange to me. I'm afraid dey have taken Vitani far away from the Pridelands – farther than you, cub Kovu, could ever go alone. Dis threat cannot be handled by one pride alone. Dis involves all de prides – you must join together to defeat dis threat of _man_."

The lions gasped. So that's what they were called. Man. The name sent shivers up their spines, though they didn't know why.

"Dat is your only choice – join with de other prides, or de man-beast will destroy us all." He motioned with his stick to the horizon and, as if on cue, a dark form appeared on it, only to collapse into the tall grass a moment later.

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"She's waking up."

"No she's not."

"Yes, she is."

"No she's not!"

"Shhh!"

Vitani groaned and heard two sharp gasps. She opened her eyes halfway. "Who's there?"

"Binti!"

"And Dogo!"

Vitani placed her paws over her ears. "Not so loud," she begged, blinking to clear the blurriness from her vision.

Two young lions stood before her, one smaller and of a lighter color than the other one. The smaller one, a female, still had faint spots on her underside. Her coat was a creamy color and her eyes brown with green towards the middle. The male, slightly older, had the beginnings of a mane growing between his ears and trailing down the back of his neck, stopping between his shoulder blades.

Vitani staggered to her feet. "Where am I?" She looked around to find herself in the middle of a wide grassland, much like the Pridelands, but without trees.

"We don't know," chirped the female, Binti. "We were kinda hoping you could tell us."

The older lioness blinked a few more times, finally gaining full consciousness. "How should I know?"

Binti shrugged and Dogo took a bold step forward to sniff Vitani. "Where are you from?" he asked.

Vitani moved away from the lion, uncomfortable with his presence. "The Pridelands."

Dogo's eyes widened. "Really?! No way! A Pridelander! My dad used to say that the best prey in the world were in the Pridelands! I've always wanted to visit there."

"So you've heard of it?"

"Yup!" Dogo smiled.

"Then where are you from?" asked Vitani in a bored tone.

"We're from the Highlands," declared Binti proudly. "Farthest pride to the North."

Vitani nodded, slightly impressed. "That's pretty far from the Pridelands."

The three lions' heads turned as a sound was heard in the darkness several feet away. Out of the tall grass appeared the old lioness that Vitani had seen before, and behind her trailed a cub.

"Where are we?" asked Binti immediately.

"I don't know," responded the elder coolly. She sat on her haunches and glanced at the cub next to her. "This belong to anybody?"

The tiny cub mewed softly, her tiny eyes filled with tears. "Where's my mommy? Where's Aunt Shangazi?" She looked at Vitani and inched closer. "Do you know where my mommy is?"

Frustrated, Vitani shook her head and began pacing. "No, I don't know where your mommy is! I don't know where we are! I don't know what's going on, so _don't_ ask!" she snarled, directing her rage at Binti, Dogo, and the cub, while the older lioness looked on.

Unphased, the cub chirped, "What's your name?"

"Vitani," replied the golden lioness curtly.

"I'm Amana," announced the cub. "She said her name is Ajuza. She's a rogue." The youngster gestured to the elderly lioness, who was frowning at her.

The five lions stared at each other in turn, then Vitani and Ajuza leapt to their feet when they heard a rumbling roar from not too far off.

"Stay here," said Vitani to the three younger lions, then bounded off with Ajuza right behind her. They slipped through the tall grass silently, barely even breathing. Their cat eyes saw straight through the darkness with frightening precision.

Another roar came.

Now Vitani recognized the tone: an angry male. She pressed her body to the ground, practically belly-crawling against he ground. They hadn't gone far when the grass broke and the two lionesses spotted a _huge_ male sitting on his haunches like a lost cub, licking his bleeding shoulder.

Vitani's heart leapt into her throat, her blue eyes widening. The lion before her had creamy fur, but a bushy mane that was darker than Kovu's, yet not quite black. Since his head was down, the young lioness could not see his face, but nonetheless she was impressed by his formidable size.

Abruptly, the lion raised his head and sniffed the air. "Who's there?" he roared, jumping to his feet. "Show yourself!" He looked straight at Vitani and snarled.

Caught off guard at being spotted, Vitani made a small sound.

Hearing this, the lion bounded forward and pounced the lioness, pinning her to the ground with his massive weight. "Who are you?" he bellowed.

Vitani panicked. "I… I…"

"Speak quickly!"

His face was mere inches away from hers; so close that she could feel his breath on her muzzle. This, of course, didn't help any with the young lioness' disorientation. She was too busy trying not to stare into his sharp black eyes to form words in her mouth, never mind remember her name.

"Hey! Leave her alone!" squeaked a small voice.

Vitani craned her neck around, spotting Binti poised to pounce a few feet away. Jolted back into full conscious, Vitani hit the distracted male with her paw. He tumbled off of her and she pinned him, teeth bared. Ajuza stood at his head with a wry grin on her face.

"Well, well, well, what have we got here?" hissed the old lioness.

The lion snarled at her, but she merely smirked down at him.

"Who might you be?" asked Ajuza.

"I'm Prince Ume of the Lowland Pride! Get off of me!"

_Ume… how aptly named,_ thought Vitani as she reluctantly moved off of the colossal lion. "A prince, huh?"

The lion stood to his full height, towering over Vitani, and growled quietly. "Yes. I was taken from my lands on border patrol. Where are we?"

Ajuza let out a puff of air. "You tell us."

Ume glared at her and said, "Fine, so none of you know?" He looked at Binti with a critical eye, then spotted Dogo approaching and growled deeply.

The younger lion froze in his tracks upon spotting Ume, who was nearly twice as big as him. A look of pure terror came over his face and he cowered low submissively. Binti trotted over to the young lion and put a paw on his head comfortingly. "Don't worry about that big ol' bully," she said softly to him.

"Leave him be, Ume," said Vitani brusquely. "He's just a kid."

Ume regarded her with a wry look on his face, then stood and stalked away.

"Where are you going?" called Ajuza.

 "I'm going home," announced the lion over his shoulder.

"Vitani, follow him," ordered the old lioness, receiving a look of disbelief from the younger lioness. "Just do it!"

Vitani grumbled under her breath before trotting after the male. As she watched his retreating form, a small grin cross her muzzle. His muscles rippled underneath his smooth fur, which seemed to glisten under the dim light of the stars. He was so massive in size that even Simba would look miniscule standing next to him. Maybe this wasn't such a bad thing…

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Kovu sat close to the young lioness as she drank greedily from the waterhole, impatiently waiting for her to finish. Sweat gleamed on her matted fur, burrs digging into her legs. She had been running for longer than any lion should, judging by the state of her. After a few minutes of drinking, the lioness was sated. She stepped away from the waterhole and lay down, exhausted.

"Who are you?" asked Kovu in a stern voice.

The lioness observed him out of the corner of her eye. "Where's the King? My orders were to speak with the King."

"I'm here," said Simba, stepping forward. "This is Prince Kovu. Please, tell us why you are here."

After taking a few deep breaths, the lioness sat up and began, "I come from the territory to the northwest of here, the Lowlands. My king, Maliki the Swift, sent me here to ask if you know anything about the disappearance about his son, Prince Ume."

"The Lowlands?" exclaimed Simba. "You've come a long way."

"The disappearance of Ume is of the greatest importance. As the only son of Maliki, he is needed at home." The lioness' tone expressed her urgency.

"So this is happening in other lands too!" said Kovu, looking excited. "My sister disappeared from our land late this afternoon. I believe she was kidnapped. There was a foul smell in the air where she last was."

The lioness nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes, the same with Ume! He was patrolling the borders, and never came back. We found strange tracks – like rocks rolled across the ground."

Kovu leapt to his feet, exclaiming, "Exactly!"

"Then this isn't the only place it's happened," declared the messenger. "We heard wind of a commotion in the Highlands. The king of that area is brother to Maliki. A traveling rogue told us that he saw an old friend of his get kidnapped by strange ape-like animals, and he's the only one who's seen anything."

Before Kovu could say anything more, Simba stepped in. "It's getting late, and none of us are in any condition to talk about this. How about we turn in for some sleep, and take care of this in the morning…?" He trailed off in question.

"My name is Rasuli," said the lioness. She bowed her head. "Thank you for welcoming me, but I must return to my pride as soon as possible."

Simba nodded. "Come rest."

As they walked back toward Pride Rock, Simba fell into step next to Kovu. The young lion was staring at his paws as he walked, his mind not entirely there. The king nudged the other lion with his shoulder. "You okay?"

Kovu glanced at him gloomily and softly replied, "Yeah. I'm just tired." He hung his head and hastened his pace, quickly leaving Simba and Rasuli behind.

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Vitani silently followed Ume for a short distance, then he abruptly stopped walking. As the young lioness approached, she could see why:

He had run out of space to walk.

Before them loomed a wall of tree trunks, like the ones Vitani had seen before. They towered as tall as Rafiki's baobab tree. It was painfully obvious that no lion could climb it so, instead, Ume dove forward and started digging. He muttered to himself frantically as he dug, but the trees extended underground. He dug faster.

Vitani sat on her haunches to watch him, suddenly feeling a great weight settle over her, constricting her chest and causing her throat to tighten. Her head whipped left and right. The row of trees extended over a nearby hill. She ran to the top of it and looked down. The trees continued for some distance, then they turned abruptly. From her spot on the hill, Vitani could see far over the relatively landscape. Her breath hitched in her throat. All along the horizon on every side the trunks loomed ominously, leaving no space between them. At all.

"We're trapped!" Ume roared, pulling his head from the hole. He looked up the wall and tried to climb it, digging his claws into the wood. With his strength, he managed to get a foot or two up, but his massive weight dragged him back down. Yet, even if he had reached the top, the spiked wires running over the top of the trunks would prevent him from jumping over. A raging roar left him, sending a shiver down Vitani's spine from where she sat.

The young lioness lay down at the top of the hill, eyes swiveling around in their sockets, hoping this was all a dream… but no matter how she wished herself to wake up, the enclosing walls remained. She was, indeed, trapped.

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When Kovu reached Pride Rock, he paused for a moment at its base. He stared up at it desolately, then looked over his shoulder at the orange-tinted outlands with a frown. He sighed and was just about to climb the steep rocks when he heard a derisive voice:

"…I don't see why he was so sad. Personally, the girl made me nervous. She was so quiet and always stared, like she was studying us."

"Yeah, I don't think anyone but Kovu is too sad that she's gone. Did you see what she did to Nala?"

"Exactly! The girl was first in line to bite our heads off. The other Outlanders have been really great, but Vitani…"

Kovu snarled at the three offensive lionesses as they turned, spotted him, and instantly crouched down in an inferior gesture. The young lion recognized them as two of the more dishonest, yet young lionesses of the pride, Duzi and Zulia. They cowered at his feet, knowing they had been caught red handed this time.

"Um… Kovu, Sir, I can explain," began Duzi with a sheepish smile.

"Silence!" roared Kovu, towering over them with narrowed eyes. "Now you listen to me, and listen well. Vitani is my _sister_, something you two can understand." He looked between them pointedly. "My mother is dead. My brother is dead. I don't have a father for all I know… Vitani is _all I have_, and so help me I will have the two of you running for your lives if you ever speak of her like that again. Do you understand me?" When they could only get out stuttering words in response, he raised his voice, "_Do you understand me?"_

"Yes, sir!" they blurted in unison, cringing underneath his wrath.

Kovu regarded them critically, chest heaving with the rage he felt. "Get out of my sight," he ordered, his voice disturbingly quiet. "Now."

The two lionesses nodded hastily, then darted away as fast as their legs could carry them while Kovu watched them go, suddenly feeling very empty inside.

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A/N: Filler chapter. Not much going on here. Next chappy will be better.


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